Mr. Speaker, the Ogden House Seniors Association has approximately 175 active volunteers. These volunteers help run the many programs that secure the mental, physical, emotional and social well-being of the seniors in the community. Its programs include physical activities, games, shared meals, crafts, assistance with lawn care and snow removal, and visitation for those seniors who are isolated. Volunteers pick up and return library books for those who are unable to do it themselves. These services allow seniors to stay in their homes when they might otherwise not have been able to do so.

I would like to thank the volunteers of the Ogden House Seniors Association and commend them on their efforts. Their hard work and dedication is an example for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister was in British Columbia to sign an agreement establishing the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. The Prime Minister also outlined the plan to work with Premier Campbell on creating two national marine conservation areas and a new national park in the south Okanagan.

These achievements mark 35 years worth of activism and continued commitment by the Prime Minister to protecting Canada's environment.

The government has an ambitious plan to increase our national parks system by over 50%, adding over 100,000 square kilometres to the existing network. This is a long term process involving stakeholder consultations with individuals, with the provinces and with first nations representatives.

On behalf of all Canadians, I welcome the addition of this park to preserve our valuable natural and ecological heritage. I congratulate our Prime Minister.

Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out today to my constituents, Graham and Luanne Snyder of Elmira, Ontario, on the tragic loss of their son Dan. He died Sunday night from injuries received in a car crash one week ago.

Dan Snyder was a forward in the National Hockey League with the Atlanta Thrashers.

As winner of the Turner Cup of the International Hockey League and the Calder Cup of the American Hockey League, Dan was a talented young man who lived his boyhood dream of playing in the National Hockey League. He had a rewarding career in hockey ahead of him.

I want Dan's mother and father, brother Jeremy and sister Erika to know that they are in the thoughts and prayers of every member of the House and all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, last week Nova Scotia was battered by hurricane Juan, the worst storm to hit Canada in my lifetime.

Many communities were decimated. Fishing villages from Indian Harbour to Peggy's Cove and from East Dover to Herring Cove were pummelled by high winds and huge waves.

These communities have relied on the sea for their sustenance for hundreds of years. The people are rugged, hard-working and fiercely proud. They were forced to watch that same sea destroy much of what they had built. They need their government's help. Their hour of need is now.

Lobster season opens in seven short weeks. Wharves and sheds must be repaired or replaced. Traps have been washed away and new ones are needed.

I implore the Government of Canada to provide relief now, not years from now. These proud Canadians need a hand.

Mr. Speaker, this week the sleepy, quiet bedroom community of Okotoks, Alberta will grow just a bit, not because of new families moving in to take advantage of the safety and family spirit in that community, but because three convicted pedophiles will be released almost simultaneously into that small town. The residents, undoubtedly, are shocked and in disbelief but it is true.

It is also true that since pedophiles can never be cured the residents have a real reason for their fear. Pedophiles never get better and never stop being a risk.

Equally scary is a Liberal government that does not care. In fact, the government is much more interested in the rights of pedophiles than the rights of children to be safe from pedophiles.

This week, Okotoks residents will be meeting in protest. I am sorry to tell them that their protest will fall on deaf ears because in Canada the only people the Liberal government is willing to listen to are those folks like John Robin Sharpe and Karl Toft, pedophiles in their own right.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to announce the results of an economic impact study of the 2003 Canada Winter Games that were held in Bathurst-Campbellton, New Brunswick.

The figures, compiled by the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance, are impressive. Economic activity to the tune of $70.4 million was generated in New Brunswick, including $57.6 million for the Bathurst-Campbellton region alone.

This activity created 1,000 jobs in the province, mostly around Bathurst-Campbellton. Apart from the 3,200 participants in the games, some 5,100 visitors drawn to the event flooded into the region.

The economic impact exceeded all expectations and is a true testament to the benefits of the Canada Games movement.

The Government of Canada is a proud sponsor of the Canada Games, which, in addition to promoting the sport development of our athletes, stimulates economic growth in our communities. I am convinced that the major economic impact of the Canada Games will continue to be felt in the Bathurst-Campbellton region for a long time.

Mr. Speaker, October is Women's History Month. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution made by women to history and our society.

All too often, historians ignore the important contribution of women to the advancement of our society. Many women stand out, In 1639, Marie Guyart de l'Incarnation opened an Ursuline convent school for girls in Quebec City. In 1705, Agathe de Saint-Père founded the first textile mill in the country, thereby becoming a very prosperous merchant. In 1893, Joséphine Marchand-Dandurand founded Quebec's first women's magazine, Le coin du feu . In 1900, Dorimène Roy Desjardins, along with her husband Alphonse, co-founded the Mouvement des Caisses Populaires Desjardins.

We must not forget Mesdames Casgrain, Payette, Roback and Monet-Chartrand who, along with many others, made significant contributions that shaped Quebec society.

During Women's History Month, the Bloc Quebecois joins me in paying tribute to these women.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness and respect that I pay tribute to one of our fallen soldiers, Corporal Robbie Beerenfenger, who lost his life while working on Canada's behalf to bring peace to a very troubled part of the world.

Born in Ottawa in 1974, Corporal Beerenfenger began his military career after graduating from high school. In 1997 he came to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and was employed in Bravo Company, and then in the Mortar Platoon and Reconnaissance Platoon. Still with the 1st Battalion, he deployed for Operation Kinetic in Kosovo in 1999-2000. Most recently, he was attached to Para Company, 3rd Battalion Group, for Operation Athena in Afghanistan.

A dedicated and professional soldier, Corporal Beerenfenger was, just as important, a husband and a father.

On behalf of my colleagues and the community of Ottawa--Vanier, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy to Corporal Beerenfenger's wife Christina and their three young children, Mathew, Kristopher and Madison.

Mr. Speaker, Technology Partnerships Canada is a massive subsidy program that offers less and less accountability.

Despite being billed as a job creation program, TPC no longer distinguishes between jobs created and jobs maintained. In fact, in some cases taxpayers are paying millions to create two or three jobs. According to its own figures, a $1.25 million contribution to Messier-Dowty Inc. of Ajax will create two jobs at a cost of $625,000 per job.

In addition, it cost Industry Canada more money to administer TPC last year than it actually collected in repayments. In fact, TPC has collected less than 1.3% of the money it is owed under its so-called strategic investments.

We do not blame the companies applying for these grants. We fault the government for its corporate welfare policies and its complete failure to properly account for taxpayer dollars.

It is time for the Liberal government to put an end to corporate welfare in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as World Habitat Day, a day to reflect on our communities and their importance in our lives.

This year's theme, “Water and Sanitation for Cities”, reminds us of the urgency to improve human settlements, especially for those individuals living without adequate water, proper sanitation and basic services.

We recognize the key role that good housing plays in the quality of life of Canadians and in the health of both large and small communities. In building strong communities and addressing the housing challenges faced by our citizens, we must have strong and enduring partnerships.

Canada will be hosting the third UN-Habitat World Urban Forum in 2006 in Vancouver. We will play a lead role in consultation UN-Habitat and the international community developing a substantive program and in designing this event. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Western Economic Diversification will lead the government's preparations for the forum.

I encourage members and all Canadians to join the United Nations in observing World Habitat Day this October 6, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was my sombre responsibility to represent the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, our leader and my constituents from Perth—Middlesex as a delegation assembled at Canadian Forces Base Trenton to formally receive our fallen soldiers who recently were killed in action in Afghanistan.

It was one of the most difficult tasks I have undertaken as an MP, one I hope never to repeat.

The ceremony was one that no Prime Minister or Minister of National Defence would wish to attend. I could sense extreme sorrow in both.

Instead of allowing this tragedy to divide Canadians, it is my sincere hope we may come together during these trying times and unite in our conviction to actively prosecute the war on terrorism, and support our military and their families.

The families of those Canadian soldiers lost and wounded fill my thoughts and the fate of Canadians still abroad, acting in defence of Canadian values, dominates my prayers.

Mr. Speaker, former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa died seven years ago. The day after the failure of the Meech Lake accord in June 1990, he made a solemn and historic statement:

English Canada must understand in a very clear manner that whatever is said or done, Quebec is today and for all times a distinct society, free, capable of assuming its destiny and its development.

In Vancouver on March 2, 1996, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs made his first speech as minister. In it, he stated that formal recognition of Quebec's status as a distinct society was a crucial step towards reconciliation in Canada.

Are we to believe that the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs feels that the recent and extremely centralist turn taken by Canadian federalism bears any resemblance to Robert Bourassa's notion of federalism, which is based on Canada's formal recognition of Quebec as a distinct society or to what the minister himself stated in his speech in Vancouver?

Mr. Speaker, October is Women's History Month when many women will be recognized for the ways they have helped shape Canadian society. I am proud to stand in the House today to celebrate Dr. Emily Howard Jennings Stowe for her contribution in the field of medicine.

Dr. Stowe began her career as a teacher in Ontario and at the age of 23 became Ontario's first female school principal. After her husband's death and with three children to support, Emily pursued a career in medicine.

Barred from medical school in Canada because she was a woman, she trained in the U.S.A. and returned to Canada in 1867 to practice medicine. She became the first practising woman doctor in Canada and went on to crusade for women's suffrage and the rights of women.

Today there are over 11,000 female practitioners in Canada, some of whom are members of this House. This figure represents 30% of the nation's total. Women continue to make their mark in the medical field.

Mr. Speaker, one year and 10 days after being illegally detained, interrogated and then deported to Syria by the U.S., Canadian citizen Maher Arar has been released and will be reunited today with his family.

New Democrats are deeply relieved about his release, no one more so than the member from Halifax who worked tirelessly with Maher's wife, Monia Mazigh, and his family for his release. The support of the community and groups like Amnesty International were critical to keeping up the pressure for his release.

Maher Arar and Canadians deserve answers to tough questions that remain. Why did the U.S. detain him and deport him to Syria despite his Canadian passport? Why has Canada not registered more strongly its objections to the U.S.'s illegal treatment of this Canadian citizen? What role, if any, did our Canadian security agency play in his detention and deportation from the U.S.?

The NDP will continue to demand answers to these questions and affirm our commitment to speak out against the abuse of Canadian citizens' rights.

Because fires can grow and spread so quickly, every second can mean the difference between life and death. Advance planning, which includes smoke alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers and an exit plan, can help families escape a fire quickly and safely.

Residential fires are responsible for 73% of all fire deaths and children and the elderly are the most vulnerable. Fires kill eight people each week and injure many more.

I urge Canadians to contact their local fire department for more information or help with a fire prevention plan.

During this Fire Prevention Week I ask this House to join me in sending this simple message: When fire strikes, every second matters: get out and stay out.